A Destiny Upon Her
by Arianllyn146
Summary: Yes, I carried this one over, because it is apparently one of those Prydain fanfictions that got me invited to this site. It is a bit corny, but it is a fan fiction about what would have happened if Arianllyn had set out to save Adaon from being killed.


I awoke in a cold sweat, sitting bolt upright in bed. My dreams had been troubled. Lately, they were always about my betrothed, Adaon. And they were always bad: every night I dreamt that he was killed in a battle, and every night, I looked on in horror. It was beginning to worry me. What if this dream actually meant something? I had given the magical brooch to him, but these dreams still came to me sometimes. What if this was one of them? I decided that I must find him and make sure that he was safe.

I quickly dressed, tied up my long, blond hair so that it wouldn't get in my face, and packed what little I would need. Then, I hurried to the stable and untied my horse. I quickly rode away into the night, stopping only when I was a good distance from home. I allowed my horse to rest, and was glad for time spent not riding, even if it was only fifteen minutes. After that short break, I continued: I had much riding to do, after all!

The next morning, I stopped to rest once again. This time, I fell asleep for a few minutes. When I awoke, I realized that I wasn't alone, because I could feel someone watching me. I was instantly alert, and I leapt to my feet. I glanced about me nervously, only to realize that the person looking at me was a small child. The child, a young girl, had very dark brown hair and enormous brown eyes. Her clothes were rags, and her face was smudged with dirt. Her eyes were even larger with fear.

I had been quite startled at first, but as I realized that there was no danger, I relaxed. I asked the child: "What's your name?"

Cautiously, the child replied, "Rhea."

"There's no need to be afraid, Rhea," I told her gently, "what happened to you?"

"M-my family's home was attacked, and my parents were killed," Rhea answered, "I'm an orphan."

"Oh," I murmured, "my family was attacked as well, when I was only an infant."

"So you're an orphan, too?"

"No," I responded, "my parents escaped with me. The home we had lived in until then was destroyed, though, and we lived in the forest until I was almost seven. Then we were able to build a new home."

"So why are you out here?" Rhea inquired.

"Because I have had terrible dreams which I have interpreted to mean that my betrothed, Adaon, will die, and I feel that I must do something to keep that from happening."

"Oh," Rhea mumbled, "I see!"

"Are you really out here all alone?"

"Yes." Rhea stated simply.

"Would you like to join me?" I asked.

"I suppose," Rhea replied, "I can't very well continue on my own in this forest, now, can I?"

"That's for sure," I answered.

And so we set out.

A few more days following the ordinary travel routine passed before we came to a place not covered by trees, but surrounded on the right by forest and on the left, by bushes. This was the place I'd dreamt about, but it was different somehow: the ground was marked, the grass stamped down by human feet, as well as horses' hooves.

I realized then that I may have come too late, and I panicked: what if I was right? What if the battle had already taken place? What if the nightmare had come true? I glanced about me: I took note of my surroundings carefully, searching the clearing for clues as to whether or not my fears were justified. I found at least one: a blade lay on the ground, a short distance from where I stood, between the trunks of two trees. A second glance told me that it was covered in blood, from the point of the dagger to about half an inch from the hilt. I gagged, feeling sick and dizzy: I tried to remain upright, staggering in that direction, falling sideways against a tree, gasping and choking. Although I knew the sight to be strong proof of the worst, I dared not give up hope yet. Even so, I didn't have strength enough at the moment to walk even one more step. I collapsed, still feeling as though I'd faint. This was my nightmare, becoming real.

After a few moments, I got to my feet. Gesturing to Rhea to follow me, I continued on, following a trail of hoof- and foot-prints through the trees. Though branches tore at my clothing and skin, I kept going. After a short while, we reached a small hollow. At the opposite side, I saw the final evidence of the horrible truth: a small pile of stones stood, flowers scattered among them. I couldn't believe what was happening: there were birds singing, but even in their song, I found no joy. Even their song, which had always seemed so sweet before, seemed melancholy now. I ran towards the grave, still hardly believing that this could be happening. Still numb. This was it, then? This was how all my hope, all my dreams, all my joy, ended? I felt like my heart was shattering into a million tiny pieces.

I heard a gasp from behind me, then soft footfalls on the trampled ground. Rhea was standing behind me. I hadn't been able to make it there in time, and I was breaking down in front of her. I was shameful at my

Rhea knelt down, looking up at me. I wondered if this was how losing someone felt, if she understood what I was feeling. Then I reproached myself for even wondering: of course she didn't. Losing one's parents and losing one's betrothed were two totally different, yet similarly nightmarish, events. How could I be so stupid as to compare them?!?

"I do understand," she murmured, "maybe my loss was different from yours, but I understand."

I was amazed: it was as if she'd read my thoughts.

"How can you understand, though?" I asked, taken aback.

"I know how it feels to lose someone you care about that deeply..."

"...someone you love," I finished, "I just wish he was still with me. I wish I could have_ done_ something to help him!"

There were tears streaming down my cheeks now.

As the floodgates opened, I flung myself upon the grave, weeping inconsolably.


End file.
